I think the point of frameworks like Genesis or Thesis is that they help create a wide variety of site layouts and themes without having to re-code core features every time. I know some people who are expert developers who still use frameworks to speed up their theme development. And they're a godsend for people who want to develop a variety of full-featured sites but who don't know HTML/CSS and don't want to be beholden to a designer or developer for every little change they want to make to the site layout.

Personally, up until now my M.O. had been to find a theme I like and tweak it to suit myself. It's easier than starting from scratch every time, and I don't run into the constraints that a framework will inevitably build in to the process.

So, sorry, Lisa, I don't have any personal experience with Genesis to report.

That said, I've been thinking of experimenting with frameworks, because I have a LOT of sites under my care, and I'm thinking that employing a framework might be a handy way to keep their themes visually "current" with less hassle. But I'm a cheapskate, so I'm wary of locking myself in with a paid framework, only to find out it's not "The One." My feeling is, by starting with a free framework, I can experiment and see if the paradigm works for me without spending any cash out of pocket. (We cheapskates hate spending cash out of pocket. )

And if you prefer the more robust support that usually only money can buy, I came across this WPMU.org article (similar to the one I mentioned above) that reviews seven premium (i.e. you-pay-for-them) frameworks, including Genesis.

Torka- your situation and "frugality" seems similar to mine. I have no problem tweaking and re-working my own sites but I have so many sites i work on for others and can't spend that kind of time on theirs.

It used to be thesis everyone loved and now the new one is Genesis. I see it popping up and recommended on respected sites that wondered if i was missing out on something. The cynic in me cant help but think their is a monetary agenda going on as well...

One theme that works well for small businesses/site owners who want to make changes to styling , etc easily and have no CSS knowledge that I like is flexibilitytheme.com/ .

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I am going to give both a try :-)